Pa. girl proud to be published writer for 'really cool' mag

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - Jessi Fulton estimates she sent more than 20 articles to New Moon magazine within about one year.

And when she got the news they were going to publish a piece she wrote about food myths, the 12-year-old from Greencastle, Pa., said she was thrilled.

Even better, they'll be publishing a quiz she wrote in an upcoming issue.

"I read (New Moon) a few times, and I was hooked," Jessi said. "I wanted to write for (the magazine). It's really cool."

New Moon is a bi-monthly magazine targeted to young girls that includes original fiction, poetry, articles and artwork, with 80 percent of its content written by its readers.

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Jessi is a sixth-grader at Montessori Academy in Chambersburg, Pa. Her parents are Brad and Jill Fulton, and she has one brother, Wes Fulton, who is 11.

Her first published article, "Is that an Apple Tree in Your Ear?" appeared in New Moon's March/April 2007 issue. The article about food myths, included a lot of research and editing, Jessi said.

"I sent a few stories and they never picked anything until recently," she said. "Maybe my writing got better."

Jessi said she has always had a passion for writing. She enjoyed writing the nonfiction piece for "New Moon" that debunked, among other things, that chewing gum does not take seven years to digest. But Jessi said she mainly writes fantasy stories, similar to the Harry Potter series.

"But a lot of my lead characters are women, girls who are really empowered," she said.

Her penchant for strong female characters is another reason she reads and writes for New Moon, she said. The magazine, Jessi said, supports the image of strong girls. It's promoted as a magazine for girls and their dreams, and Jessi said the publication does tackle some tough topics like abortion and gay marriage.

She said she also enjoys the process of writing for the magazine, and getting feedback from editors. Though not all of her work is published, Jessi said she isn't deterred from writing.

"I'm going to keep on doing it," she said. "Even if it's not in the (magazine). It's great just to have even one or two things in. It's pretty amazing. I'm still in shock. I'm really proud."

One of her rewards for being a published writer: her first paycheck. She still hadn't cashed the check for $34.62, but said she will soon.

"I've never had a check in my name for work that I did," Jessi said. "It felt really good."